Cairo: Khalil Al-Hayya, acting Gaza chief of Hamas, has declared that no hostages-for-prisoners exchange with Israel will occur unless the ongoing war in Gaza comes to an end. His comments, aired on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday, reiterated the group’s stance.
“Without an end to the war, there can be no prisoner swap,” Al-Hayya stated, emphasising that the resistance, particularly Hamas, would not relinquish a critical bargaining chip while hostilities persisted. “How would a sane or insane person lose a strong card he owns while the war is continuing?” he asked.
Al-Hayya, who has led negotiations with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, attributed the stalemate to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The reality proves that Netanyahu is the one who undermines it (negotiations),” he said, urging genuine efforts to end the aggression before meaningful dialogue can proceed.
Netanyahu, during a visit to Gaza on Tuesday, dismissed the possibility of Hamas retaining control of the enclave after the war and claimed significant destruction of the group’s military infrastructure.
